Sonic Boom, Episode 1.49: Role Models

Sonic Boom, Episode 1.49: Role Models

Original Air Date: October 24th, 2015 

"Role Models" begins with the most typical of "Sonic Boom" scenarios: Eggman is terrorizing the village, causing the heroes to rush in and defeat him. This is apparently the millionth time Sonic and the others have saved the day, prompting Mayor Fink to give them awards. They are no longer mere heroes but role models to the public. This causes D.B. Platypus, an image consultant, to step in and coach Team Boom on proper heroic etiquette. His advice effects their ability to do their jobs, both in public and in their own home. 

"Role Models" engages in a debate that has been on-going for as long as people have been getting famous. What does a public figure owe the public? We're all human beings and everyone is flawed. Each of us have our vices and every person alive makes mistakes. Yet when someone is famous, so much of their life is a matter of public opinion. Now, everything a person does is scrutinized and, if they fail to live up to the public's standards for them, it can have disastrous results for their career. 

I mean, is that fair? I'm of the opinion that we really don't owe other people anything but common courtesy and human decency. Everybody screws up and public figures, whether they be movie stars or politicians, are under an enormous amount of pressure. At the same time, the debate that people trade privacy for fame isn't without some compelling points either. Moreover, someone admired by children probably should do their best to behave appropriately in public. I do think the powerful and influential have a certain responsibility to use their resources to make the world a less miserable place, as we all should. So it's a complex debate which deserves a nuanced response. 

Unsurprisingly, an eleven-minute cartoon designed for the seven-to-twelve crowd does not provide an especially deep reading of the role model debate. Instead, "Role Model" provides the strawliest of straw men for Sonic and the gang to bounce off of. D.B. Platypus is the most ridiculous kind of fuddy-duddy. He deems everything Sonic and the gang does objectionable. They literally can't walk out of a room without him issuing criticism. How they fight crime isn't the only thing that's effected. This guy even picks apart how they behave in their own home, policing how Amy and the others cook dinner. I don't think anyone would realistically – in so much that a realistic response is warranted – object to superheroes running to the disaster zone. D.B. expects Sonic and the others to walk at a gentle pace and in an orderly manner into action.

Naturally, this restricts their ability to be heroes immediately. D.B. wants Sonic to wear blunting sponges on his quills. He demands Amy and the others talk out their problems with a violent, unreasonable Eggman. Such a depiction comes dangerously close to weirdo, libertarian politics. It's a slippery slope from "the enforcers of public safety have to make risky decisions on the fly and can't be expected to follow polite orders one hundred percent of the time" to "we should let those in power do whatever they want, because they know better than us." Moreover, making so many of D.B.'s complaints petty, annoying, little nitpicks makes those who do object to the way hypothetical superheroes might conduct themselves seem unreasonable. This episode comes uncomfortably close, at times, to feeling like a screed against the "P.C. Police." That there's some nebulous force trying to keep us all from having fun in deference to a sense of public decorum. 

Like always, I'm overthinking it. I don't think Reid Harrison set out to write a manifesto against overly sensitive zoomers keeping him from cracking off-color jokes or whatever. Nor do I think he's arguing that those in power should do whatever they want, in the name of defending us. Yet I do think this episode probably would've been more compelling if D.B. Platypus wasn't such an annoying shithead. The constant sound of his whistle annoys Sonic and the gang and it annoys me too. His persnickety attitude is obnoxious, his voice is like nails on a chalkboard. Even his design, with his off-putting yellowish brown coloration and weird glasses that float in the middle of his face, is unappealing. 

As critical as I'm being of this episode – I swear, I'm less annoying than a platypus with a whistle – it does have a couple of good laughs. There is value in taking this idea, of "what if the gang had their heroics policed?," and extending it to its most absurd conclusion. When Eggman seems to actually get into the talking method D.B. has the team using, or ask the old man monkey to more politely repeat the news of incoming disaster, that made me laugh. Sticks quickly emerges as the best character here. Her natural suspicion of authority quickly has her bristling against the platypus' control freak rules. I've got to say the exchange between them of "Don't question me!" and "Why not?" got a big laugh out of me. 

The action scenes in "Boom" are always the weakest link but this episode's structure does give them a nice boost. First off, a barely changed version of the "Magnum P.I." theme song plays during the action scenes. And the "Magnum P.I." theme fucking rocks, so that adds some nice energy. Secondly, having the gang spend almost the whole episode constrained to a bunch of bullshit rules makes us anticipate them breaking loose again. When Sonic and the others rebel against the loathsome platypus, led by the naturally ungovernable Sticks, it's is very satisfying. 

If there's anything that's kind of weird about this episode, it's that Eggman feels pretty detached from the A-plot. This leads to a number of increasingly random gags starring the mad scientist. We discover he was nominated for a Grammy, a gold record displayed in his wall in what seems to be the synth genre. He later sings for the Mayor, resulting in an awkward pause. This proceeds a bit of him attempting to pole vault. These gags are so isolated that they start to feel a little like "Family Guy" manatee gags, which is never a flattering comparison. 

Also, the Mayor's statement at the episode's beginning that Team Sonic has saved the day a "million times" seems implausible. I counted the number of holes on the punch card he holds up and I only see 130! Typical lying politician. Also also, there's a pretty good joke about bread. Anyway, this episode has a premise that keeps it from being a lot funnier than it could've been, though I still laughed a handful of times. I guess that evens out. [6/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 61

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 61

Publication Date: June 7th, 2023

After six long months, IDW's "Sonic" comic finally concludes the "Urban Warfare" story arc. Eggman is confident in his victory as he has the heroes trapped in his tripod walking machine. Things take a turn for the worst when Sonic is trapped in the same pocket dimension device that snared the Diamond Cutters. Yet the power grid to Eggperial City has been successfully disrupted, freeing the team from this trap. At the same time, Silver gives Shadow the pep talk necessary for him to escape the artificial Chaos Emeralds. He does another Chaos Control, causing the city to overpower and explode. Will our heroes make it out in time? 

I criticized the previous issue for the way Evan Stanley wrapped up the proceeding cliffhanger in an almost nonsensical fashion. Tangle got tossed out of a skyscraper but survived the fall because she suddenly became intangible, for reasons that were not really satisfyingly explained. Unfortunately, Stanley relies on a similar, sloppy deus ex machina here, attempting to justify it with the story's extremely shaky science. When Sonic gets scooped up by the pocket dimension trap, that's a very dramatic moment. The book's title hero has been vanquished and the rest of the team is exposed to Eggman. Things are looking bleak!

How does Stanley get our guys out of this jam? It just... Kind of happens. Suddenly, without immediate explanation, Tangle is corporeal again. Eggman can touch and hold her. That's when Lanolin and Whisper casually walk into the panel. A page later, Tails drops a word balloon of chunky exposition, explaining that the city's computer systems being off-line has shifted everyone from the pocket dimension back into normal space. This means Sonic is also freed and he rushes into a panel a little further down the page in an equally unceremonious fashion.

You see what's wrong with this, right? Stanley created a very dramatic, very dire situation for the good guys... One so dire that she obviously could not think of a way for them to organically get out of it. Instead, she cooks up some totally off-panel bullshit that resolves the problem for the team. Through no actions of their own, the heroes escape the predicament and can then turn the tide on the baddie. It is, at best, awkward writing and, much more bluntly put, lazy writing. This is the kind of narrative cheating I expect from old-timey movie serials and Ken Penders, not from modern comic books. 

I've complained that this entire story arc was overly reliant on sketchily defined science-fiction concepts. That continues here. I still don't fully understand how the whole fake Chaos Emeralds that power the city thing works. I thought Eggperial City got its energy source by strip-mining the land under it? Yet the book continues to focus on the fake emeralds, making them a primary part of the climax here. I would say Eggman powering his latest super weapon with such a violative energy source was bad planning but that's pretty typical behavior for him. That doesn't make it good writing. Once again, a very serious threat is dismissed quickly and sloppily seemingly because the writers painted themselves into a corner. They needed a big-ass explosion at the end to destroy all of Eggperial City at once. Stanley cooked up some nonsensical plot device to provide just that.

And so, the day is saved by Shadow's fabulous, secret powers. I've bitched about this before but, truly, action sequences that rely solely on the character's various superpowers really bore me. It's not narratively dynamic! Instead of the heroes defeating the villains in natural ways that feel earned, they pull some fucking miracle out of their ass. This issue really leans heavily on that feeling. Shadow Chaos Controls the threat away twice. Lanolin's bell wispon thingy reveals an ability to crack open a window. Sonic does a big wind-up special move that finishes off Eggman's tripod. It's just not interesting to me. Have people resolve problems with strategy, with down-to-earth skills, not with some magic trick they pull out of a hat. 

Sonic doing the Fastball Special at the end is presumably meant to be a big, applause worthy action sequence to wrap things up with. Yet it feels a bit too little, too late to me. Earlier in the comic, after Sonic makes his re-entrance, he dramatically tells Eggman he's "taken this too far" and "you know what I'm gonna do next." The hedgehog then... Jumps out of a window, away from his archenemy. A few pages later, Metal Sonic grabs Sonic off a flying robot turtle. The two scuffle and Sonic kicks his robotic double away from him. He then half-ass quibs "Until next time, Metal" at his dismissed foe. 

It reminds me of the similarly disappointing "Recovery" arc from a while back, where Sonic just let Eggman fly away at the end after foiling his scheme. I know, this is a kids' comic that heavily relies on the trope of the big bad always escaping, so he can tango with the heroes another day. Yet Eggman getting away is different than Sonic letting Eggman get away. It totally undermines him saying some hard-ass shit to Eggman when he just runs off immediately afterwards. Come on, Sonic, gut-punch him first! Do something! 

I know he spin-dash the tripod shortly afterwards but it's still such a deflating sequence. Once again, I am left with this feeling that Sonic doesn't actually want to apprehend Eggman, to permanently put a stop to his devastating schemes. That he prefers minor short-term victories over actually winning the war. It makes the climax, where Eggman is seemingly left to die – or at least Chaos Controlled to parts unknown – as Eggperial City explodes, feel all the more out-of-balance. Sonic isn't willing to provide a long-term solution to the Eggman problem. He lets other people clean up the mess. And every time this comic starts to actually interrogate the fact that Sonic continually lets Eggman escape, to plot again and potentially endanger more lives further down the road, it backs off. 

Yet all of this just points towards this story arc's weird reluctance to actually commit to raised stakes. Tangle is dropped to her death but miraculously survives. The Diamond Cutters and Sonic are trapped but then escape off-screen. Brutal moments are immediately undermined. There's a badass panel where Eggman grabs Tangle and puts a fucking gun to her head. Before any consequences of this grim image play out, Whisper and Lanolin swoop in out of literally nowhere. Metal Sonic slams his palm right across Tails' nose and tosses him backwards, only to be swatted by Sonic a page later. Every time this issue finds a genuinely captivating moment, it pulls back just as quickly. 

Here's another example of how this issue continuously deflated itself: Shadow is imprisoned in the fake Chaos Emeralds and Silver simply tells him he's the Ultimate Lifeform, he can't give up. So... He doesn't. Shadow just stands up and decides to keep fighting. You're telling me Shadow could've ended this any time he wanted but he was too busy brooding like a moody teenager? What a fucking dork! Does Evan realize how ineffectual this makes Shadow look? At least have him restrained by the magic rocks or something! Don't just have him stand up and shrug it off! 

I guess it's clear that this issue really frustrated me. Have I got something good to say about it? Well, the art work is really good. Adam Bryce Thomas once again provides plenty of bold images. There's lots of eye-catching panels of heroes and villains lunging at each other.  Yet even then, some of these pages feel a bit overstuffed. There are a few pages where the panels are packed in, each one overloaded with info-filled word bubbles. It just furthers this feeling that this entire story arc has been all weighed down by too much exposition and needlessly crowded plotting. 

The entire "Urban Warfare" story arc has been very disappointing. Especially after the book came off such a strong story involving Surge and Kit. It makes this entire bloated, uneven storyline feel like a desperately assembled filler arc in between the shit we actually care about. Evan Stanley can do good work and has before in the past. Yet she's not at her best when relying on brute-force plotting, as she tends to fall back on messy structure and bullshitty technobabble. At least it's over now though. Hopefully the next arc – gratuitously set up by the last few pages here – is better. [5/10]

Sonic Boom, Episode 1.48: Designated Hero

Sonic Boom, Episode 1.48: Designated Hero

Original Air Date: October 17th, 2015

In "Designated Heroes," Eggman robs a toy store and is quickly thwarted by the good guys. In the post-action scene humiliation round, he makes a bet with Sonic and his friends. They always defeat him as a team, but would victory come as easily if they fought one-on-one? Everyone agrees to these terms. Eggman turns out to be wilier than anyone expected and he easily outmatches everyone during their fights. Will this be the mad scientist's path to victory? 

While the term "Designated Hero" usually refers to a distinctly unheroic character who is given the status of hero, the 48th episode of "Sonic Boom" means it in more literal terms. Every time it's one of the Team Sonic members' turn to fight Eggman, they are the chosen hero for that designated time. This is a cute example of the way this show continues to play with the traditional good guy/bad guy roles. Last episode, Reid Harrison had Eggman refer to being "outside office hours" and his time fighting the heroes as "nine-to-five." In this episode, we see Tails clock out of and Knuckles clock in. By fitting these characters into the sitcom mold, the idea that fighting each other is simply their job is more present than ever. 

The episode's structure, which has the villain encountering each of the good guys in one-on-one matches, makes another interesting point: Maybe Eggman knows his enemies better than they realize. Each scene sees the doctor taking advantage of everyone's personality. With Amy, he preys on her sense of empathy and community by saying he recycles tin cans to make toys for needy children. He plays along with Sticks' paranoid fantasies, disarming her in that fashion. He flatters Tails' genius, which gets the young and insecure kid to lower his guard. He forces Sonic to wait, testing the hedgehog's lack of patience and Knuckles' stupidity makes him easy to fool. 

All of these moments nicely reflect on the heroes' personality while also showing that Eggman is more observant than he gets credit for. It also lends this episode a really satisfying structure. During each encounter, Eggman takes an object from his opponent. He steals Amy's hammer, Sticks' shoes, a giant metal paper airplane Knuckles' created, and Tails' force field machine. (Which probably could've defeated everyone by itself but never mind that.) Once he creates a larger, more dangerous gizmo from these combined elements, it feels like a satisfying payoff. Everything fits together nicely, ya know? You love to see it. 

There's even a nice, kid-friendly moral this time. Separately, Eggman is able to conquer Sonic and his friends. In the final act, the guys "tag" each other out all throughout the fight. Essentially, they function as a team without breaking Eggman's one-on-one rule. In other words: Teamwork makes the dream work. We are stronger together than we are apart. This is also a nice message to send to the young ones and it's incorporated into the story here without being preachy or heavy-handed. 

This is another Reid Harrison episode and he packs the script with his usual tactic of non-stop gags. "Designated Heroes" actually shows a nice balance between zanier moments and more subtle gags. Such as the episode beginning with Cubot and Orbot doing a sports match style commentary on the fight. There's also lots of big, silly sight gags. Such as Knuckles cluelessly digging through the earth or Sonic, in his boredom, playing tea party. Yet the moments in this episode that really got me to laugh tended to be the smaller scenes. Sonic shaking Eggman's mustache when his hands are disabled, Amy announcing she'll still contributed to Eggman's charity after he defeats her, and Tails fumbling an attempt to look cool and effortless... Good stuff. Maybe the best joke in the episode comes with the way Tails undoes Eggman's forcefield. The machine works by responding to a smart statement. To undo the effects, he hands the controlling helmet to Knuckles. I've really come to appreciate the way this show finds time for both wacky bits of comedy and more character-driven, dialogue centric jokes. 

There's also a very small moment here that surely warrants deeper discussion. When Eggman awakens Sonic from his nap, the half-asleep hedgehog mutters out "Go away, Amy. I'm not in the mood." Now, what does that imply? Was Sonic fantasizing about Amy attempting something towards him that requires a certain mood? Or is this a default response because Amy tries to awaken Sonic from his sleep for specific, mood-adjacent activities on a regular basis? "Boom" has certainly implied, on countless occasions, that Sonic and Amy are attracted to each other. I think this is the first time they've ever slipped in a joke about them actually hooking up though. Good on the writers for slipping something naughty through. I'm sure the shippers lost their fucking minds over this. 

Anyway, "Designated Heroes" is a really strong episode. As "Boom's" first season winds downs, the show has gotten a good bead on the cast's personalities. That's evident in episodes like this, that depend so much on understanding the core characteristics of everyone and how they play off each other. Combined with some rock-solid structure and a string of quality jokes and you've got another all-timer. [8/10]